Luciferin

Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 2014.

Drawing inspiration from transitory and ephemeral natural phenomena including bioluminescence, air pressure, and water, Luciferin is an artwork proposed for a Philadelphia high rise that is an urbanized synthetic embodiment of these natural phenomena. The art is a spatial field consisting of over a thousand points of light. Placement of the LED nodes on metal tubes correlates to flash patterns of various species of fireflies. When the weather is dry the LEDs pulse with a green-amber glow through different rhythms. When it is raining they turn blue and move through downward chase sequences, emulating rain. At times the LED nodes can be used to form three-dimensional images made of points of light.

The firefly marquee has a lime green glass canopy that during the day casts a luciferin glow onto the tubes and globes below. The green light is also reflected onto the mirrored glass of the building facade and casts onto the paving at midday, to create a variety of optical effects. A lower clear glass canopy is affixed over the entry area. This provides shelter and also references the childhood activity of catching lightning bugs in a jar and watching them through glass.